


To the Light

by firedancer34



Category: Warrior Nun (TV)
Genre: Angst, Avatrice, F/F, Hurt/Comfort, MOST Character Deaths will be temporary, Slow Burn, Some Fluff, Worldbuilding, fallenhalo BroTP
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-18
Updated: 2020-10-19
Packaged: 2021-03-07 19:09:09
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 5
Words: 13,770
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26522689
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/firedancer34/pseuds/firedancer34
Summary: The world called it a miracle.His newly appointed Holiness claimed it was a Divine Sign from God.The College of Cardinals, saw it as an ill omen.Those who witnessed first hand, the powers of Heaven and Hell colliding, declared it the single worst and greatest moment in their lives.But for the women of the OCS, The Vatican Battle was the catalyst to their world being turned upside down, and their faith shaken to its very core, as everything they’d believed in turns out to be yet another carefully crafted deception by man with a god complex.orMy world building take on season 2 where science collides with the divine in a way none of our favorite OCS ladies could have ever anticipated. Lots of angst, as they all try to heal from the emotional aftermath of the Vatican Battle and plenty of slow burns happening all around as our ladies figure out how to navigate these new feelings  while trying to save  more than just their world.
Relationships: Mother Superion & Jilian Salvius, Shotgun Mary & Sister Lilith, Sister Beatrice/Ava Silva, Sister Lilith & Ava Silva
Comments: 67
Kudos: 166





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey everyone, this is my first foray in the Warrior Nun fandom so thank you for giving this a shot. I'm excited to be here and happy my muse is all sorts of excited as well. In fairness though, I want to give a heads up that my life is pretty busy and updates unfortunately don't happen on a set schedule for me because work typically destroys that, but this story has been burning in the back of my mind for a few weeks now and I'm invested in it. I even sat down and mapped a bunch of it out, though I admit I am still trying to work through some technical aspects so like...if there is a discord or chat I can bounce ideas off of people, I would love to have you hit me up with it. World building ahead so expect this to be pretty good sized with plenty of Avatrice and LilShotgun slowburn. Oh and title is from the song To the Light by Christian Reindle and Dream Harlowe. 
> 
> Ok on to important stuff like TRIGGER WARNINGS. I will post them as I can think of them in the beginning of each chapter. We got badass chicks who are pretty much ordained soldiers so expect a bunch of violence and fighting and associated bits throughout the story. I welcome advice on any I might miss though, so please don't hesitate to drop the recommendation in the comments and I will fix it ASAP. 
> 
> CHAPTER 1 TW: I promise the character death (well technically two) is temporary. Also gore.

Mary went down almost immediately, her anger at Father Vincent’s betrayal finally boiling over and destroying her last bit of self- discipline in her need to avenge Shannon’s murder. As she watched the woman who’d quickly become something of a big sister to her disappear under the press of bodies, Ava locked up, her every instinct screaming at her to run as the horde of possessed swarmed over the shotgun wielding woman and towards their too small group. She could feel the Halo heating up, eager for the fight, even as she fought against herself. Her eyes darted from one threat to the next, and her mind struggled to focus through the panic that was beginning to take hold as the cacophony of noise crashing down around them began to overwhelm her senses. Desperately trying to remember what little training she’d managed to get in before this, only one clear thought could be made out in the chaos of her head. 

_ I am so fucking underprepared for this. _

Then Lilith snarled something vicious and inhuman, those deadly talons making a re-appearance as her eyes glowed an unholy red and she leapt into the frey, carving a deadly swathe through the crowd towards their fallen sister. As quickly as they had possessed the morons who had stayed around to gawk at the spectacle of buildings crumbling around them and Adriel’s open use of his powers, the wraiths began fleeing their injured and dying hosts in search of new ones. Two of them aiming directly for Beatrice and Camila is what finally spurred Ava into action, and she rushed through their protective stances to skewer the closest demon and then bring her sword around in a desperate backhand slash to take out the second just as it reached for Camila. 

Seconds dragged into long minutes of desperate fighting as what was left of the crowd finally clashed with their tiny trio. They fought back to back, Beatrice and Camila working in well practiced tandem to force the wraith out of their hosts as Ava tried to keep up with killing them before they managed to escape. A desperate glance upwards however, showed it was a losing battle, Adriel obviously summoning what had to be every wraith in the city. 

The Halo Bearer had just been about to tell Beatrice what she was seeing, when Mary’s bloodied and barely conscious figure was literally flung at their group by an enraged Lilith. Beatrice managed to catch the staggering woman, and shoved her towards Ava who fumbled to help the battered warrior remain upright while slashing at another escaping wraith. Another stolen glance towards Lilith revealed the nun looking even more inhuman. Crimson now glowed brightly beneath her skin as if her veins were flooded with fire instead of blood, and her hair was almost stark white. But as soon as she got Mary to safety, her focus immediately locked on something else off to one side. Ava’s gaze slid towards where she was glaring, and realized it was Vincent. The traitor’s attention was turned away from them, distracted by Adriel’s calmly retreating figure.

The next moments would be a blur of violence and desperation that would be the catalyst to an event that would devastate and haunt them all for a long time to come. 

Seeing Vincent turning to leave as well, Lilith drew on her powers instinctively and teleported. One moment she was only a few yards from her teammates, the next, she was at the far end of the square, standing behind Vincent. A snarl of rage twisted her features even further, and before betrayer could react to her sudden presence, her hand slammed through his back with so much force it burst through his chest in a spray of blood, bone and viscera. The chaos of the square stalled for several heartbeats as Adriel turned back to see the gruesome display, and his eyes widened as he took in Lilith’s visage and what remained of his puppet. His gaze quickly slid towards Ava’s and her eyes narrowed in angry challenge, her sweaty grip tightening on the sword. There was a hint of genuine fear there and it could have been the poor lighting but she swore he was looking even more pale. The look held for several drawn out heartbeats before she watched his jaw tighten in frustration and anger replaced the fear. Then his fingers flicked towards the crowd once more and they surged on the nuns with renewed fervor. Rage flared deep in Ava as she clashed against several opponents at once. Her mind was screaming at her to stay with her team like they’d been trying to ingrain in her, but her heart raged at her to hunt the bastard down. She’d sworn to be the last Warrior nun….that she would end this tonight. It was the one thing in her life she’d been truly serious about and now she was failing.

In her distraction, she never saw the blow that had slipped through everyone else’s guard due to the sheer numbers of possessed pressing in on them, and was aimed straight for her unprotected back. Not until she heard Beatrice screaming her name. By the time all Ava could do was watch helplessly as Beatrice threw herself in front of the halberd thrust. Blood spattered across Ava’s face as the pike of the weapon slammed clear through Beatrice’s body and she stood horrified as the nun managed to bury her last knife in the man’s throat just as he jerked the weapon from her body.

==**== 

High above the square, the newly installed Pope had been standing at the railing with Mother Superion watching the chaos below unfold with growing horror. “Who...who is that?” he stammered, pointing to Lilith as they watched her make her way through the throngs of people towards where Mary had disappeared. “Sister Lilith. We don’t know any of the specifics of how she came back from the other side, but it appears it left its scars on her.”

“She has...become a demon?”

“She fights  _ with _ the Halo Bearer!” Mother Superion hissed angrily. “From what we’ve learned, the Halo may not even  _ be _ an artifact of God! Everything we’ve been taught is based on a lie and the Church helped perpetuate that lie. Now the lack of truth and information has led to this! Tell me Your _ Holiness _ ,” and there was no mistaking the barely repressed sneer in her tone at the title, “how much more blood shall we continue to stain our hands with?” she demanded angrily as she gestured at the violence taking place below them. 

“We were only doing what we-”

“The _ truth _ shall set you free.” The words thrown at him were full of bitterness and accusation and as he stared at what was happening below, he had no words to deny the harsh rebuke.

He spun away looking sick when Lilith took down Vincent and shifted as if he was about to leave when Mother Superion pinned him in place with a look and a slam of cane on the stones. “We shall bear witness to our sins for we owe them nothing less,” she said in a cold, cold tone that told him she would enforce that decision if he dared to object. With none of his guards around, he knew he had no chance to refuse her this. They turned back just in time to hear Sister Beatrice scream the Halo Bearer’s name and do as she’d been trained: taking a mortal blow meant for her Bearer. 

Time slowed for both observers in that moment, as they watched the skilled Sister Warrior crumple to her knees, face turned up towards her Bearer, as blood rapidly stained the stone beneath her. A pulse of light and energy radiated off of the Halo Bearer and knocked the crowd back several yards, as the girl surged to catch her stricken Sister. 

“No,” Mother Superion sobbed, fingers pressing tight against trembling lips, tears spilling over as she watched another of her girls be felled in battle. The newly appointed Pope swallowed hard against the lump in his own throat, guilt rising up as he watched the highly skilled nun take the fatal strike. Their group was so pitifully small against the massive crowd that was already stumbling back to their feet and he accepted that his actions were in large part, to blame for that.  He had fractured the Order, turned them against one another, and now he was forced to watch as the forces of Hell threatened to overwhelm their last line of defense against an evil they’d allowed to be set loose through deceit and betrayal. 

==**==

Ava sobbed as she caught Beatrice’s broken body when she started to pitch forward. “NO!” she screamed in anguish, cradling the dying woman’s body in her arms. She was distantly aware of the pulse of energy that had flared from her, giving them a moment’s respite. A distant part of her was aware that Mary was yelling at her to get back to her feet and that the Halo still burned with so much power, begging to be unleashed. But all Ava could focus on was Beatrice. Kind Beatrice, who had been her first friend in the OCS and who had been her guiding light as she helped Ava push through her fears when learning to phase through 20 ft of stone. Badass Beatrice who’d kicked Crimson’s ass after she tried to kill Ava. Beautiful, brave Beatrice who had wept as she relayed Sister Melanie’s story and opened up about a deeply personal part of her own. Loyal and fierce Beatrice who had just taken a blow meant for Ava, that the Halo surely could have healed given a little time, but spelled certain death for the nun.

Lilith was suddenly by her side, talons retracting as a shaky blood soaked hand reached out to interlock with Beatrice’s. The glow still burned brightly under her skin, but tears were now streaking down her face as she looked the wound over, her expression frantic as her free hand hovered over it helplessly. Direct pressure would do little to stave off the torrent of life-force pouring from the woman’s chest. Beatrice looked up at her weeping companions and tried to give them a brave small smile, despite the blood that was bubbling from her mouth as she tried to gasp for breath. But the blow was brutal and her death was not to be a peaceful one. Her attempt to bring them some semblance of peace or comfort, utterly failed as she gurgled out in distress, the agony of her injuries finally catching up to her.

Ava’s hand clamped tightly over both of theirs, tears pouring down her face as she realized she was about to lose yet someone else she’d come to love and call family. Emotions boiling over, the Halo flared brightly in Ava’s back, its heat becoming almost as excruciating as the grief overtaking the young Warrior Nun. 

She recalls only fragments of what happens next.

Lilith’s slick hand, hot in hers, where immense power coursed through both of them.

Beatrice choking one last horrible time.

The world going blindly bright.

Beatrice’s body going slack as the life faded from her eyes.

Screaming.

High above, the Pope who had so little faith in the girl who’d seemingly stolen the holy relic, watched as she rocked back on her knees, her body going taut as she raged at the world that had treated her so cruelly for most of her life. An ethereal light, burning brighter than the sun, burst from under her armor. Beside her, the nun he’d just accused of being a demon, matched the Halo Bearer’s glow, the fiery lines throughout her body spreading and multiplying until her skin was a network of burning crimson branches and her eyes an inferno. Her mouth opened as well and an unearthly howl joined Ava’s scream. He crossed himself at the sight, asking for forgiveness as the tormented sounds quickly reached deafening levels, divine powers obviously amplifying its volume so greatly it was said to be heard for miles around. When the light and screaming reached its apex, the Halo unleashed its powers in shockwave after shockwave, the strength of which, knocked people off their feet and blew out windows throughout the city. For nearly half a minute, those shockwaves rippled through the area in slow steady pulses, until the screaming faded, the light went out, and the Halo Bearer slumped over unconscious. 

Hand still clasping Ava’s, the hellish glow fading from her eyes and skin as well, Lilith remained awake just long enough to drape her body protectively over the teen’s before she too succumbed.

For those who saw and felt the power of the Halo rush through them, the experience was transformative, to say the least.

In the Halo’s brilliance the wraiths briefly became visible for all to see, before they gave a final collective screech as they were vaporized into the ether. The injured were healed first, almost instantly in that first pulse of power. As the shockwaves continued to sweep through the area, those who had been killed during the battle, began to draw breath and stir as the Halo’s power slowly knit together their mortal wounds with each pulse that passed through them. It was reported that even the sick and infirm within nearly a mile, felt the restorative effects of the Halo. 

When silence finally fell upon St. Peter’s Square, all anyone could do for many long moments was stare at the small group of women adorned with holy symbols and weapons, who’d bravely battled the overwhelming forces of Hell for their souls. And when they realized that these enigmatic, courageous young women, had all willingly made the ultimate sacrifice in one form or another, those in the crowd still left standing, collapsed to their knees in reverence and gratitude. For as horrendous as the night had been, they’d borne witness to a miracle in its full splendor, and their lives would forever be changed. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A little instant gratification before the rest becomes a slow burn.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just want to say thank you to this amazing fandom for the warm welcome. I'm humbled by the love and encouragement. I was feeling very inspired this weekend and managed to knock this out in between catching up on some paperwork and dealing with family stuff. I hope you continue to enjoy!

As the last of the blinding light and noise faded away, taking the deep aches of her injuries with it, Mary tightened her hold on her remaining shotgun and tried to blink away the starbursts in her vision. For several long moments, the only noise to break the deafening silence that had descended upon the square was her and Camilla’s harsh panting breaths. Every muscle tensed, the older warrior pressed her back tightly against the smaller Sister behind her, every sense straining to capture the next potential threat. 

To their immense relief, none would come. 

All around them, people were staggering to their feet, healed of their injuries, the dead even starting to stir, but none moved against them. They merely stared at the women who were their saviors, many openly weeping at what they’d just beheld. When a Swiss Guard went to his knees, his weapon clattering jarringly to the ground, the entire crowd quickly followed suit. 

Mary’s body had just begun to relax until she realized that Ava and Lilith were in a crumpled unmoving pile with Beatrice trapped beneath them. “Aw hell no, baby girls,” she rasped out, as she and Camila moved next to their prone bodies. Dropping to her knees, she rolled Lilith off the pile gently and tenderly brushed her white locks out of her face, while Camila moved to roll Ava off of Beatrice. 

“Come on Lil. Give me a sign your stubborn ass is still alive,” Mary muttered as she pressed her fingers against skin that was too hot, searching for a pulse even as her eyes desperately scanned for indications of breathing and life. When blood slicked fingers finally found a slow steady beat, Mary exhaled shakily in relief. “Lilith’s alive,” she informed Camila who was desperately seeking to do the same. 

Panic was written all over the young nun’s face as she fumbled with Ava’s armor, trying to get at a pulsepoint on her skin, and Mary set Lilith down gently to come help the girl when something just beyond them caught her eye. Body still keyed up and on high alert, Mary’s gaze snapped towards the slow movement that had demanded her attention and her body went rigid.

“Not today, motherfucker,” she growled out so viciously, it startled Camila whose gaze sought out what had invoked her elder Sister’s wrath. When it landed on the stirring figure of Vincent, her own desperate fumbling halted as she reached for her crossbow once more. Without taking her eyes off the figure of the man who had betrayed them all, Mary rose to her feet smoothly, her hand reaching for Ava’s fallen sword. The fact that the divinium barely glowed despite its close proximity to the Halo hardly registered in that moment as she stalked towards Adriel’s lackey. 

The crowd watched on silently, seeing retribution in the warrior’s eyes, and didn’t know whether they should run or bare witness to what was about to happen. But none dared to interfere when the man adorned in a priest's clothing and who had already been slain once by one of the women, was harshly kicked onto his back just as he’d struggled to his knees. Not a whisper of sound could be heard as she placed a boot to the man’s throat, and everyone held their collective breath as his feeble struggles began to fade when she placed the sword point against his chest, poised to strike true. 

They watched her jaw work furiously as tears began to spill down her cheeks. “We  _ trusted  _ you,” she hissed at him. “We put our hands in your lives. Did what you asked of us. Only for you to betray us! Shannon wasn’t the first was she?” When he didn’t even attempt to answer she dug the point in slightly and leaned over him. “WAS SHE?!” she screamed at him.

“No!” was his strangled response. 

“How. Many?” she snarled in demand, the sword sliding in a little deeper. He groaned as every gasping breath he drew, caused the blade to to bite into his flesh even further. 

“T-too many to c-count! He has always been w-watching...always h-had those who...who do his bidding….and you will n-never-” his pained words were cut off with a bloody gurgle as Mary drove the blade straight through his black traitorous heart. 

Holding his gaze as he convulsed on the end of the sword, Mary leaned down further. “Oh but we will. We will hunt every single one of you down and we will make them pay. Thanks to you, Ava will be backed by an Order that has never been more motivated and we will hunt down your Master, and send his ass back to Hell,” she sneered at him. 

She twisted the sword slowly, and did not flinch when he screamed in agony. “This is for Shannon you bastard.”

==^^==

Cold.

Agony.

Terror.

Ava.

As dying synapses fired their last few signals in her brain, these were the last few recognizable things her mind was able to still comprehend as the encroaching eternal darkness began to consume her. 

Beatrice thought she’d been prepared for death, and in her mind perhaps she had. When she’d seen the blow that was aimed at Ava’s unprotected back, she’d acted out of instinct, though her movements were driven by a desperation that ran far deeper than training or sense of duty. She’d tried to twist so that the blow would glance off her armor, but she’d been a fraction of a second too slow and the world exploded in searing agony as she found herself impaled instead of Ava.

At least Ava was safe.

She tried to be brave for Ava and Lilith who were weeping above her while attempting to bring her a measure of comfort as she lay dying in their grasp. At least she was not alone. And for a brief moment, she truly understood Ava’s fear, and hoped that her sisters would keep her promise to the Halo Bearer for her. 

The reality of dying however, was not something she had been fully prepared for, and panic set in as her shredded heart struggled desperately with her weary mind, to keep fighting against the inevitable. Because for the first time in her life, she  _ wanted  _ to live. She finally had something….someone….to live for. If she’d had the breath, Beatrice would have cried out at the unfairness of it all, instead she found herself drowning in her own blood, the slick, coppery fluid the only thing to escape past her lips.

She fought that darkness to the brief bitter end, and then there was nothing.

She had no concept of how much time had passed in that nothingness before a basic primal awareness returned along with light, and a blessed heat. They surrounded her,  _ filled _ her, and Beatrice instinctively drew in a gasping, desperate breath.

Then another.

And then her once static synapses started firing all at once and she might have screamed at the sensory overload if her entire body wasn’t locked up in that healing embrace. Like gentle waves lapping at the shoreline, that power washed over her time and again, each one soothing away the agony of injuries being made whole while pushing her closer to awareness. It was there, in that timeless limbo of light and warmth, that Beatrice felt an encompassing love, the likes of which she’d never encountered before. 

She wept for the beauty and glory of it.

When the light finally faded and the world came back into focus, Beatrice could still feel the lingering traces of that warmth and love in her and lay there blinking up at the starry night as her mind tried to process what she’d just experienced. 

Unfortunately, the newly resurrected nun was afforded little time to do so as a familiar voice raised in anger nearby and she rolled her head towards the sound. The disturbing scene before her caused her breath to suck in sharply as she forced her mind into further alertness even as her body sluggishly began to respond. She startled Camila as she sat upright with a jerk, the younger sister squeaking in surprise as she looked up from a deathly still Ava. 

“Ava,” Beatrice gasped out in despair as she willed herself to crawl next to the Halo Bearer. 

“She’s alive. They both are. Barely. But they are alive,” Camila rushed out, a hand reaching out to steady Beatrice as she wobbled on her knees. 

Another angry exchange between Mary and Vincent drew their attention back over to the scene, and Beatrice shakily staggered to her feet, her eyes darting towards the crowd who were on their knees, staring at her and the others with a mixture of reverence and fear that made her deeply uncomfortable. Her mind assessed and then dismissed them as any further threat and she focused on putting one foot in front of the other as she shakily moved towards her Sister. She’d barely cleared half the distance when Mary buried the blade in Vincent’s chest and Beatrice forced her limbs to propel her forward, though not in time to stop Mary from seeking some of her own personal retribution for Vincent’s part in Shannon’s death. 

Reaching Mary’s side, she gently placed her hands over Mary’s white knuckled grip on the hilt of the sword and quietly called her name to draw her attention. Dark eyes filled with a grief that never had a chance to be properly expressed, lifted to meet her own and Beatrice felt her heart break for this brash, bold sister of hers. Because Mary had been brave enough to dare to love a Halo Bearer knowing the pain it would likely end in, and she didn’t deserve to have that courage and in the betrayal that it had. 

In that moment, she let her mask of reservedness fall away, letting the older woman see her heart, see her understanding and love, and to know that Beatrice was not there to judge, only to spare Mary from tainting her love and memory of Shannon with any further cruel actions. 

“His sins in this life, against us, will be paid for with his death. I have faith that he will pay dearly in the next life for his sins against god. We have other matters to attend and he is not worth any more of our time,” she said quietly. 

For a tense, drawn out moment, Beatrice wondered if the other woman would resist the pull of that dark bitter grief that was threatening to consume her in this moment, before so many witnesses. She exhaled in silent relief as Mary’s grip finally relaxed beneath her own, her hands sliding away from the weapon as she stumbled back a step, a single sob breaking free as she wrestled with her emotions. Beatrice turned away to allow her a moment of privacy, noting that nearly all eyes in the square seemed to drop away as well. 

Instead, she looked down at the dying man at her feet, her expression going cold. “You were a wolf in sheep’s clothing and you desecrated every holy thing you were meant to represent. My only comfort is that you will spend an eternity in hell for the treason you have committed against God.” She yanked the sword out of him, a dark part of her enjoying the squelch of it leaving the betrayer’s body. 

And because she was feeling a little vengeful herself, and her control was not anywhere near its usual levels, she took a page out of Camila’s book and spat on Vincent’s body just as the life went out of his eyes. Pulling loose an already torn piece of her habit, Beatrice used it to remove the tainted blood on the holy blade she carried and then dropped it onto his corpse before turning away. 

Loud noise from inside one of the nearby buildings had her bringing the weapon up in a ready stance, Mary spinning to face the possible threat as she pulled a knife from her boot and a pistol from her hip, and Camila crouching in a protective stance over their two fallen sisters, crossbow at the ready. The crowd began shifting back in fear, though the Swiss Guards who were present seemed to remember their training and picked up their weapons. “Form up a defensive line!” Beatrice snapped, adrenaline instantly coursing through her, firming up her muscles and clearing her mind.

They rushed to comply, the crowd pulling back behind the line of weapons both ancient and modern that were being trained towards the approaching commotion. Beatrice noted with satisfaction that the Guard had formed up so that Ava and Lilith were also behind their line. A few brave and sturdy looking civilians moved hesitantly forward to crouch next to Camila who passed off a couple of spare knives to the two most competent looking ones. She and Mary drew back several steps so that they were just in front of the Guard’s line, hands tightening on their weapons. 

“Defend the civilians. Protect the Halo Bearer at all costs,” Beatrice ordered quietly, her eyes never moving from the possibly threat coming towards them. 

“As god wills it, Sister,” the senior Guard present responded with quiet determination. 

“In this life, or the next,” she murmured back, two warriors exchanging a moment of camaraderie as they faced the unknown together. 

  
  



	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In the aftermath of the battle, Beatrice and Mother Superion share a brief moment of bonding, and Beatrice tries not to fall apart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OK FIRST: This fandom is fucking amazing. No seriously. Between the comments and kudos and such here and all the shenanigans, entertainment, and encouragement on the WN Discord I am just filled with love for all of you. The fandom's I've written for were either a bazillion years ago when like...the internet was still a newish thing or the most recent were small so even though it was a hearty little bunch, there weren't many to chat with. You guys are just.....wow. *makes mind blown explosion noises*
> 
> Second: A special shoutout to spacewritermonkey who has spent hours now indulging my spiral down into ultimate nerdom with discussions about time/space/metallurgical superconduction physics and other such insane shit as I continue to map this beast out. Like my dude....I can't even thank you enough. Also thank you for looking this chapter over for me as you know how much I STRUGGLED.
> 
> Third: So this is a filler/transition chapter but I threw in some Bea/MS fluff which I hope will tide all of you over until we start getting into more of the meat of the story soon. Not gonna lie, I re-wrote this like 5 times before I was like "fuck it" and settled on posting it. So hopefully you all enjoy!

The tension built as the great doors to the remaining portion of the Basilica still standing, swung open. The collective group of Warrior Sisters and Swiss Guards assessed the new wave of Guards pouring out of the building, and then relaxed when it became apparent that they were there as the heavily fortified protective detail for the newly elected Pope who was ensconced safely in their circle, along with Mother Superion and a number of Cardinals following in their wake. 

Beatrice felt almost dizzy with the relief as she realized that if the Pope was here, then the threat had well and truly passed for now. Her breath left her in a shaky exhale, and a strong hand gripped her shoulder briefly in quiet understanding from behind. She turned to see the voice that had spoken to her, belonged to the man who had run her through. He was looking at her with so much regret, his gaze drawn to where his weapon had struck true. 

“Forgive me, Sister,” he begged hoarsely.

She gave him an understanding look, her own eyes drawn to the blood staining the front of his uniform, just beneath his collar. “Only if you can forgive me, Brother.”

He handed off his weapon and took a step forward to embrace her, and she awkwardly returned it, reassuring him that she knew it wasn’t his fault. Decorum took over once more as he pulled back, straightened to attention, and saluted her. “We’d heard rumors of your Order, Sister, but they did not do you justice. We are forever in all of your debt for what you did here tonight.”

Beatrice bowed her head in respect. “Thank you, Kaplan.” Before any more words could be exchanged, both were pulled away by their superiors. 

The young nun was completely caught off guard however, when Mother Superion didn’t say anything, but rather looked Beatrice over with frantic eyes, shaky hands going immediately to the bloody, ragged hole in her armor. The Sister Warrior took in her superior’s tear streaked face, watched her inhale sharply as her fingers came away slick with Beatrice’s life-force, and lifted her own hands to gently clasp her mentor’s. 

“I’m alright, Mother,” she assured the devastated looking woman, with gentle sincerity.

Mother Superion stared at her in disbelief for several drawn out moments, emotions she normally kept hidden away behind her carefully crafted mask, bare for all to see in that moment. With a noise that sounded like a choked-off sob, she drew Beatrice into a tight embrace. For once, Beatrice allowed herself to sink into an embrace without her usual stiffness. Because for all her carefully crafted strict exterior, Mother Superion cared a great deal for her girls and Beatrice knew that every Sister lost, was felt far more deeply by their mentor than most of them would suspect. The desperate embrace, the shuddering breath that shook the body she was firmly hugging back and the tears that she knew were soaking into her habit, told her how much the Mother loved  _ her _ . It was everything her own biological mother had denied her and Beatrice felt her throat tighten and her own eyes burn as she  _ felt _ the physical manifestation of that which she’d sought her entire life. “I’m alright,” she whispered once more, her eyes closing as she savored the few extra seconds Mother Superion clung to her in relief before she finally relaxed and pulled back with a fortifying breath. 

A warm hand cupped Beatrice’s cheek, and she saw so much affection, relief and pride in the Mother’s eyes as she looked upon her. “I don’t know how, and I will not question it either. But a day will not go by that I will not thank the heavenly Father for seeing fit to spare at least one of my girls. Things rarely go according to plan and tonight was no exception. But you have done our Order and your Sisters proud today Beatrice.”

“Thank you, Mother,” Beatrice choked out, her lower lip quivering as she tried to contain her emotions. Then a grim looking Cardinal approached Mother Superion and asked her to join him in a circle of equally somber looking Cardinals who were surveying the destruction before them. 

“See to Ava and your Sisters,” her mentor commanded gently. The moment was forced to pass, her mask slipped back into place and she turned to follow after the Cardinal who had beckoned her. 

Beatrice sagged, feeling utterly drained, until she caught sight of Camila and Mary who were frantically waving her over to where they were both crouched over Ava and Lilith. She rushed to their side and finally took note of the fact that all of the divinium weapons lying scattered around them were barely glowing. Panic rose up in her chest as she all but slid along the stones on her knees the last few feet. “What’s wrong?” she demanded.

Mary looked up, her expression weary but laced with heavy concern. “Ava blew herself and the Halo out, exorcising and healing everyone. It was….I couldn’t see shit after she went all super-nova, but somehow Lil seemed to be amplifying whatever she was doing. When it was over they both collapsed and Lil seems stable, but I don’t think little sis is doing so well. The divinum barely reacting can’t be a good sign.”

Beatrice felt her world start to narrow and her chest tighten as she took in Ava’s pale skin, deeply shadowed eyes, and gaunt looking features. It was like the Halo had drained her of her very life-force, leaving a frail looking shell of the normally energetic teen. She reached out with an unsteady hand, and brushed a lock of matted hair back before resting her palm on Ava’s head, the gesture both assessing and for comfort. For Ava or herself she could not say at that moment, but it helped ground her before she spiralled too deeply into the panic. Ava needed her and she couldn’t let herself fall apart right now. Falling back on her training, her mind focused on the actions they needed to take. Standing she swiftly made her way to the Guard she’d spoken with earlier and called out his rank to gain his attention. “Kaplan!”

He paused the conversation he was having with several of his men to turn towards her, and took in the urgency in her tone and body language as she approached. “What do you need?” 

“The Halo Bearer and Sister Lilith need medical attention immediately. It would be best if that did not happen with the entire world watching still,” she added in a quieter voice, her eyes drifting to the crowd that was still lingering on the fringes of the square and being kept there by the Guard. It was clear that nearly all of them had either cameras or phones, and were recording every action that was taking place. 

He nodded and turned to the men he had been speaking with and began giving them rapid orders to push the remaining crowd from the Vatican City, seal it off with the help of local authorities, and to increase the Guard in strategic places. Someone was sent off to the papal medical team to have them prepare for the two incoming women, while two more were sent to fetch backboards. Seconds later, everyone was rushing to fulfill their duties and Beatrice nodded in gratitude and approving of the man’s expediency. 

“Thank you, Kaplan.”

“It’s the least I can do. What do you think that’s all about?” he asked, his gaze sliding past the nun towards where her superior was ensconced in a quietly heated discussion with a small group of Cardinals, their eyes constantly drifting towards the new Pope who was caught up in another discussion with several more Cardinals. There was much gesticulating going on and voices were beginning to raise in that group. 

“Nothing good, most likely. I do not envy you your job right now, Kaplan,” she stated quietly, well aware of the papal history. While a Pope could not technically be removed once elected, the papacy was littered with the fairly quick and sometimes questionable deaths of those whose appointments were not viewed favorably after certain events. 

“I believe I could say the same about yours,” he murmured back and she couldn’t disagree with him. Vincent might be dead, a hoard of wraiths with him, but Adriel was still out there. 

With another quiet word of thanks, she hastened back towards her sisters and knelt between Ava and Lilith. Her hands were instinctively drawn to both their heads as she reminded herself that her oldest friend and confidant, and the young Halo Bearer who saw Beatrice for who she truly was and called her beautiful, were still alive and fighting to stay that way. “They will be taken to the infirmary here, but trouble is brewing. We should be prepared to leave quickly if that happens,” she said discreetly to her companions. 

Mary sighed wearily, and despite the fear coursing through her for Ava and Lilith, Beatrice empathized. But she felt a small bit of relief as she watched her older sister start collecting their weapons and sheathed the knives that were returned to her. Meanwhile, Camila was looking over to where Mother Superion was standing, her eyes squinted in concentration. When she inhaled sharply, her eyes going wide Mary paused in her task, her hands creeping towards her holstered shotguns. 

“What?” Mary demanded quietly. 

Camila held up a finger, and shushed her. The elder woman narrowed her eyes and flicked the finger in irritation. “How the hell can you hear what they are saying from all the way over here. Don’t shush me.”

“My youngest sister is deaf. I learned to read lips with her,” Camila retorted, shushing Mary once more. Had the circumstances not been so dire, Beatrice might have found the interaction amusing. Right now it was wearing on her last nerves as she waited with barely restrained patience. Camila seemed to sense the rising tension and when Mother Superion glanced in their direction, her expression harried and grim. 

“Mother Superion is being questioned about His Holiness and events leading up to what happened tonight. They are not viewing what happened here, or him, in a favorable light,” she summed up. “Mother Superion is being...diplomatic in her answers, and asking that they continue this at another time when everyone is under less public scrutiny and after she has been able to see to it that we are all attended to properly.”

“And the mob with Duretti who are looking at him like he’s the next Julius Cesar?” Mary asked, not bothering to show any respect for the man that very nearly got Ava killed and pushed Lilith down the dark path that led to….whatever had happened to her.

“His Holi-” 

“Cut the bullshit Camila. He deserves as much respect as Adriel does. None,” Mary interrupted.

“Language,” both Camila and Beatrice snapped, though there wasn’t much heat in the rebuke. 

Ever the voice of reason, Beatrice pulled a hand from Lilith’s head and reached out to grip Mary’s tensed arm firmly. “He may not deserve our respect, but even you have taken an oath to serve this Order and for now, we must fall in line, Mary,” the younger nun warned. “Mother Superion indicated that despite how things have turned out, she is pleased with our performance. But we have exposed ourselves to the world and those in power are likely not going to be happy with all their carefully crafted lies and subterfuge being brought into the light for all to see. We cannot risk drawing more attention to ourselves by showing open defiance. Especially not with Pope Duretti now in charge.”

There was a tense moment of staring as Beatrice tried to impress upon Mary that she needed, now more than ever, to toe the line and not cross it. She jerked her arm back after a moment but nodded, once, begrudgingly. “Fine. But if he tries to make another move against Ava, his reign as Pope will be the shortest one in history,” she promised the other two in a low and dangerous tone. 

Camila’s eyes widened, but Beatrice just accepted the statement, not sure if she entirely disagreed with the sentiment even though she knew she should. Duretti had crossed a line with all of them, and though she knew she should be open with her forgiveness, she did not know if she could, given all that they had endured these past weeks. Not for how he’d preyed up Lilith’s own insecurities at not inheriting the Halo, and twisted them into some kind of….fucked up murder mission he painted to be divine. And certainly not for all the times Ava nearly died because of his actions and manipulations. A deeply buried part of her acknowledged that should he try to bring harm to either one of them again, she would likely join Mary in her oath to protect at all costs. 

Guards arriving with backboards and medical personnel in tow, thankfully distracted her from her darker thoughts. An older man in a white coat, peeled off from the group to approach Pope Durreti. The sisters all watched as the man who had all but ordered Ava’s death only a couple of weeks ago, made a huge show of waving off his personal physician and urging him to attend to the Halo Bearer immediately. Beatrice didn’t even feel her hand curling into a fist, or realize the glare she was directing towards him, until Mother Superion stepped into her line of sight, an understanding but warning look in her eyes as her head tilted a fraction towards the Cardinals that were watching them all closely. 

Beatrice forced herself to relax and then moved out of the way for the medics who began assessing Ava and Lilith. She stood next to Mother Superion, silent for a bit until their teammates were carefully loaded onto the backboards. “Is our continued presence here cause for concern?” she asked without turning her head and just loud enough for her mentor to hear. 

“We are in no danger. His Holiness, however…,” she trailed off and was that a bit of a smug tone in Mother Superion’s voice? Beatrice’s eyes snapped sideways briefly to see that the elder nun’s face was an expressionless mask. There was a hint of  _ something _ in her eyes, but Beatrice forced herself to look away as the Guards lifted their fallen sisters up. 

She and Mother Superion trailed after them, allowing Mary and Camila to stay within reaching distance of both women, while they trailed a few feet behind, to continue their hushed conversation just out of earshot. “But Ava and Lilith will be properly attended to?”

“For now. As soon as we can move them safely however, I wish to have them transported back to Andelusia. This place is about to turn into a political minefield. I may be calling upon your skills and knowledge of the diplomatic realm very soon Beatrice. I have no wish to see us used as pawns in their games, while we are trying to focus on the most important fight of this Order’s history.”

Beatrice’s pace faltered. 

She’d joined the Order not only to try and bury her own personal... _ flaws _ , but also to escape the world her parents would have forced her into. She should have known she would have been dragged back into it eventually. Mother Superion sensed her struggle however and paused for a moment, her gaze shifting to Mary and nodding for her to continue on with the medics. She turned to Beatrice who was clearly struggling with the request, and rested a hand on the younger woman’s arm. “I will not force you to do this Beatrice, but this is not an arena I am….fluent or adept in. I have bought us a little time so that we can see to Ava and Lilith, and also to assess the situation further. But there may be an opportunity here, and I will need your assistance if I am to negotiate skillfully enough for it.”

Beatrice exhaled slowly, centering herself, and nodded. “My skills are at your disposal Mother Superion. Whatever you need, I am here.” 

Mother Superion squeezed her arm briefly and gave a faint but once more proud smile. “You always are,” she acknowledged simply.

Once again, the validation nearly undid Beatrice as so many emotions threatened to spill over. Her throat tightened and her eyes burned with unshed tears, but she managed to draw in a shaky fortifying breath and let it out slowly as she brought herself back under control. As they turned to follow their fellow sisters into the depths of the Vatican, Beatrice realized that falling apart would have to wait even longer, and she swore to herself she would not disappoint these women who had so much faith in her. 

  
  



	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adriel

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello lovelies! This chapter is a little short, but wanted to cut to Adriel for a moment to start setting the stage a bit with him. 
> 
> All the love to you amazing readers for the encouraging comments and such and also for all the crazy support and fun on Discord. Honorable mention of massive gratitude once again to spacewritermonkey who has spent HOURS now being my sounding boards and brainstorming buddy as I work through all the finer details of the plot (and enjoy some crackish ideas just for the fun of it).
> 
> PLEASE NOTE: As I've closed in on working through all the details, I went ahead and adjusted the tags accordingly. I think I've settled in on where I want to go with things and will continue to adjust accordingly as the story unfolds. But for now I wanted them to reflect more of where we are at currently.

“Sir? Sir, are you ok? Can I he-” the words died in a gurgled cry of pain and alarm as the man who’d just tried to help the staggering dust-covered figure, found an elegantly made knife with a blue-tinged blade, buried in his chest. Crumpling to his knees, he looked first at the knife and then at the gaunt, angry face that now stood above him. His last coherent thoughts were to wonder what could drive a man to the depths of rage, such as he beheld in those cold dark eyes. Then darkness embraced him, and his thoughts ceased to exist.

Adriel jerked the knife out, the move taking far more energy and effort than it should have. Panting, he looked around the dark abandoned side-street, relieved to see that everyone had already headed off towards the chaos at the Vatican. In the distance, a multitude of sirens were screaming into the night as they raced towards the destruction. Helicopters were filling the night sky overhead, and he shifted further into the shadow of the doorway the man had just exited from. Nudging it open, he paused for a moment, and then after sensing no one else inside the small shop, he reached down to drag the corpse of the shop-keeper in after him. Grunting and cursing at the effort it took and the agony it sent through his body, Adriel shoved the door shut, and sagged onto the floor, feeling weaker than he ever had in his life. 

He’d underestimated the girl.

Centuries of planning and patience and suffering and it had all been undone by something that should not have been possible. 

Once again, his impatience had cost him dearly and his father would be greatly displeased with this latest setback. Vincent had been right to urge him to walk away. He hadn’t anticipated Ava being to access the Halo as she had, especially not when he’d been at his most vulnerable. Only his inherent abilities due to his lineage had managed to save him during the collapse of his prison. Unfortunately, they’d been drastically weakened by the Halo’s instinctive defensive attack as he’d tried to wrench it from the girl’s body. When he connected with it, the Halo recognized who he was to it. And yet, it had resisted him. The implications of that were….greatly disturbing. Especially as the encounter had left him in such a weakened state. His anger clouding his judgement had only made things worse. 

The subsequent fight had left Adriel even more gravely wounded and he’d finally realized that this was not a battle he could win in his current condition. He’d hoped that if he perhaps summoned enough wraiths, the sheer force of numbers would overwhelm the small number of nuns as well as the Halo Bearer herself. Then he could return when things were in upheaval and reclaim what was rightfully his. It was a pity Vincent seemed to have lingered too long, emotions clouding his loyalties. He had been a very useful follower, but not the only one. Closing his eyes, Adriel tried to focus on the nearest one, gasping when pain lanced through his head as he had to push his senses outwards some distance. The summons was brief, but enough. It would take her several hours, but she would arrive before morning, and she would provide the perfect cover for him to leave the city unnoticed.

Slumping against the wall, he winced as one of the wounds in his back continued to throb where that insignificant little nun had shot him. The audacity of her to spit on him! He would enjoy making her pay. 

Then he would work on the one who’d managed to bury the throwing knife in his arm, just before he’d turned a corner. He’d seen what she’d started to mean to Ava.

He would take great pleasure in making the brat watch as he destroyed them all slowly and painfully, one by one.

First he needed to regroup and figure out how Ava had been able to access so  _ much _ of the Halo’s power. There was a reason why the Halo only allowed certain individuals to bear it, while rejecting others. These mortals were still grasping at straws as to why. But even Areala, who happened to cross his path in a moment of pure blind luck, hadn’t been able to come close to what he’d felt slam into him as he’d made his retreat. Wave after wave of agonizing pain had taken him to his knees, stripping him of his power even further until he felt...mortal almost. Catching his haggard reflection in the glass case across from him, he acknowledged that he certainly looked like it. But no one else should have been able to wield nearly the full extent of the Halo’s power like that. He idly wondered if she was even still alive. That much power in a mortal shell very well could have killed the girl. Which would make pressing forward with his plans considerably easier. 

Looking at his surroundings, he spied a couch tucked away in a corner and decided some rest was in order. Once he was safely out of the city, he could assess the situation and see what information his contacts could feed him about Ava and her little gaggle of nuns. Then he would plan his retribution. 

A smile full of pure malice lifted his lips. He had the perfect place in mind to start.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you everyone for all the amazing encouragement and support. Shout out to all my new discord dudes: you guys are hilarious and a blast to interact with. 
> 
> A special thank you to my official beta for this chapter and my personal cheerleader who lets me spend hours rambling about this shit as we pick apart plot points: spacewritermonkey. Dude, thank you for sacrificing sleep in editing this all of this and helping me clean up a few ideas. 
> 
> A couple of things: So I know Vatican City has a Children's Hospital (and wow....scandals there on conditions) but I don't know if the Pope has like his own little private hospital. But let's be real. These dudes are typically older and some of them have been in pretty lousy health. So I have taken creative liberties and given one of the most influential religious leaders of the world his own private medical facility. 
> 
> Also, someone requested angst, which was already waiting in the wings. Dear anon, I hope this delivers. 
> 
> TW: medical drama yo (and no I am not a doctor please don't roast me too much for more creative liberties)

The group transporting Lilith and Ava barely made it into the well-equipped miniature emergency room before Ava started seizing. Mary and Camila dodged out of the way as the medical staff swarmed around the girl and pressed themselves against the walls but refused to leave when ordered to. The guard who had been tasked in removing them from the room hesitated after an intense stare-down with Mary, before turning to the nurse and establishing that they would remain out of the way but he could not interfere with their duty. He’d ducked out of the room as quickly as possible after that and were the circumstance not too dire, it might have been amusing. By then the two doctors had already sorted who would take which woman, and both of them were calling out orders to the nurses who moved deftly around them. The majority of the staff was being dedicated to keeping Ava stable as the older doctor worked fervently on her.

The controlled chaos was interrupted momentarily a minute later when Beatrice and Mother Superion arrived and Beatrice lost her composure as she watched Ava’s body arch off the bed, frothy spittle dribbling down her cheek as her breathing came in ragged, gasping pants. 

“Ava!” Beatrice cried out, surging towards the girl only to be caught up in Mary’s strong and unyielding grip. “Let me go!”

“Bea? Bea you gotta let them do their thing. There is nothing any of us can do for her right now,” Mary told her in as compassionate and understanding a voice as she could manage. Beatrice was too caught up in her emotions to notice the tremor in her friend’s voice, but her other two companions hadn’t. This scene was far too fresh in their minds and wounds that hadn’t been given a chance to heal were being ripped back open. Mary’s most likely the deepest of them all. 

“They don’t know,” Beatrice hissed, still struggling against Mary’s hold. 

“What don’t they know Bea?” Mary asked, forcing Beatrice’s eyes to meet her own. “What do the doctors need to know.”

“Her spinal injury! With the Halo depleted she reverts back to at least part of it!”

The noise died down as her near hysterical words reverberated through the room. The younger doctor attending Lilith pinned their group with an annoyed glare, but the older one looked worried. “You say she has a spinal injury?”

“She suffered a fracture to her C4 when she was a child. She is exhibiting signs of respiratory distress, correct? Although she retained most of her respiratory capabilities, she would have periods of difficulties that would require assisted ventilation at times,” Beatrice rattled off. 

Her teammates stared at her as much as the medical staff did, who’d all paused to look between the armor clad, well-armed nun, to the girl still convulsing - though thankfully slightly less so now - on the table. “That- that is not possible! A fracture like that would mean-”

“She was rendered fully paralized from the shoulders down. What Sister Beatrice says is true. Ava bears a holy relic in her back. His Holiness is aware of its nature and I am sure you all are now aware of its capabilities. All you need to know in this moment is that the Bearer of this object we refer to as the Halo, is granted restored health...when it is fully powered. As you can imagine, Ava expended most if not all of the halo’s energy earlier. Doctor, we are not telling you how to do your jobs, we are just making you aware that without the Halo’s power, Ava has likely reverted back to her former state, which included being a quadrapalegic with known episodes of breathing difficulties and whatever other neurological issues you would know to accompany such an injury, Mother Superion informed them rapidly, her hand pressing comfortingly on Beatrice’s shoulder as she watched her stiffen even more at the mention of Ava’s previous condition. 

Which had also included being dead. 

Thankfully, the doctor seemed to have rolled with this new bit of information and as he continued working on Ava, he began calling out further questions about possible known allergies or any other medical history that might be relevant. Beatrice, who was trying not to spiral into a panic attack at the thought of Ava dying, managed to fill in what Mother Superion didn’t already know from the scant medical file that had been attached to Ava’s personal file. Within a minute, the doctor had finally managed to get the seizing under control and began doing a more thorough assessment of his patient. 

When the nurses started struggling with the armor in order to access more skin to place IV lines and electrodes, Mary and Mother Superion gently pushed Beatrice toward Camila, and stepped forward to aid in efficiently stripping Ava out of the armor that could not be cut through by conventional tools. The two younger nuns politely affixed their gazes to the floor though Beatrice couldn’t help but look up when everyone around Ava made stifled noises of exclamation. 

“What the fu-?” Mary gasped, eyes wide as she stared at the young Halo Bearer in shock.

“Language,” Superion corrected before Mary could finish, but even she looked shaken. 

The younger doctor had no such cares about propriety, had paused in his care over Lilith, to gape. “What the bloody hell is that?!”

Beatrice gasped in horror as she caught sight of dozens of crimson fern-like streaks, marking the pale flesh of Ava’s skin. They seemed to be radiating from her back and wrapping around her torso and down her arms. When the older man ordered for Ava to be rolled over slightly, further examination showed the marks did indeed originate from the Halo.

“Pathognomonic burns,” one of the nurses murmured. 

“Like a lightning strike?” Beatrice asked into the quiet. 

That earned her several raised eyebrows, but she was far too distracted to notice. “Yes,” Ava’s doctor answered as his hand pressed against the scarred flesh before he murmured for her to be laid back down. “I take it that is the Halo device you referred to?” 

“It is.”

“Can it be removed?” 

The entire OCS team stiffened.

“It can, but I will not allow it at this time,” Mother Superion said in her most severe tone. “First, it should only be removed with a special device to limit human contact with the relic. Anyone who is not an acceptable Halo Bearer risks losing body parts if they come into contact with it. Second, to do so could quite possibly result in Ava’s death and I will not risk that. Especially as His Holiness has commanded that everything be done to keep her alive.”

“Right. Anything I should know about this Halo?”

“There are centuries’ worth of medical and historical findings I couldn’t quite possibly go into detail on in a brief amount of time and there is even more that we do not understand. But to boil it down into the most simplistic terms? The Halo is a source of unknown power thought to be of a divine nature. It also has the ability to choose who bears it. It is a symbiotic relationship, with the Halo healing its host from nearly every injury possible. But it does have its limits and needs to recharge once its energy has been expended.”

“Seven minutes,” Beatrice added quietly, still staring at Ava’s injuries. “We were training her this past week and managed to get it down to seven minutes. The Halo should have been recharged well before now.”

“Ok well how can it be symbiotic when it did this?” the doctor questioned, gesturing wildly to the damage across Ava’s body.

Mother Superion felt a phantom ache between her own shoulder blades as she answered in a subdued voice. “The majority of the time it is. You have to understand, this is not an earthly power we are dealing with. Our bodies are frail and yet it chooses to allow certain ones to carry it and wield its power. What Ava accomplished here tonight has never been done before. She tapped into the Halo deeper than centuries’ worth of Halo-Bearers ever has. In her desperation, perhaps she went too far and this is the price. But if the Halo is still viable, it will eventually heal this.”

The doctor seemed to mull over Mother Superion’s information while he finished assessing Ava and continued giving orders as her vitals started being displayed on the numerous machines she was being attached to. While she was no longer convulsing, it was clear Ava was still suffering extreme respiratory distress despite the medications being administered. “Let’s get her on BiPAP, but have an intubation kit ready. Lucille, keep a close eye on her O2 sats and let me know if they continue to drop. I want a full panel on her bloodwork and someone tell radiography to be ready. Full CT scan, focus on the torso. I need to see how extensive this damage is.”

The nursing team began carrying out his orders and he stepped back, pulling off his gloves and pulling on a fresh pair before moving over to his companion. “I take it things are ok over here?”

“Her vitals are strong and relatively stable, it appears she’s just over-exerted herself. Classic signs of dehydration and dangerously low glucose levels are the most pressing issues and easily treatable. However, I’ve come across a few discoveries of my own,” he stated, lifting one of Lilith’s hands and looking towards the nuns. “Care to explain these?” he asked with an arched eyebrow watching their reactions carefully. 

There was an uncomfortable shifting amongst the small group. “Sister Lilith recently came into contact with an...otherworldly being. She was given a full work-up at a premier scientific and medical facility. They are still monitoring the effects to her genetic structure, but she was deemed to not be at risk,” Beatrice answered diplomatically. It wasn’t quite the full truth, but it wasn’t exactly a lie either. Still, Mary and Camila  _ stared _ at her, before Mother Superion discreetly cleared her throat and gave them a look to not say anything further. 

“Sister Lilith has also obviously acquired some newfound...gifts. We are still cataloguing everything,” Superion answered ambiguously. When she offered no further enlightenment, the younger of the two sighed in frustration but waved for his team to continue with Lilith’s care as he stripped off his gloves and left the room after a few more orders to his team.

“Is this….normal for your Order?” the elder doctor asked after his partner had left.

“We deal with the forces of Hell on a daily basis Doc. Our lives go waaaaaay beyond normal on the regular,” Mary answered.

“I see. Well I must ask that you all step outside for a moment. We are going to send Ava down the hall for her scans and will be moving both of them into the next room which is more suited for recovery and monitoring. Given what happened here tonight, I doubt I need to be concerned, however, I feel the need to double check that none of you are in need of treatment?”

They all shook their heads in the negative, though Beatrice and Mary both stiffened at the thought of either of their team being left alone. The doctor noted the shift in posture and firmed up his own. “I’m actually insisting for health and cleanliness reasons that you also take this moment to clean up. You have tracked blood all over my floors not to mention the overall state of you three,” he said waving at the general appearance of Mary, Beatrice and Camila. “If you insist upon it, you may stand guard outside the room while we run the scan, but no one is allowed inside while it’s running. Once you are clean, you may accompany them both into the recovery room however.”

“Sisters, please do as the doctor has requested. I shall stay with them until you have cleaned up as much as possible.” The order was clear, and both her tone and look indicated that she would not tolerate any of them arguing with her right now. Camila and Beatrice quickly nodded their compliance and for once, even Mary knew not to push her right now. 

“The van is nearby with our spare travel gear and equipment. We should be able to retrieve it quickly,” Camila told the group since she’d been in charge of that earlier. 

“There is a staff locker room down the end of the corridor and to the left. Please feel free to use them, Sisters. If you are in need of something to wear temporarily until suitable clothing can be acquired, you may help yourself to the clean scrubs that are stocked inside.”

“We appreciate your hospitality and patience, Doctor.” Mother Superion waited until her girls disappeared and then turned back to the doctor. “How is she? No prevarication please. I have phone calls to make and preparations to consider in a worst-case scenario. Removing the Halo from Ava is not something I wish to entertain any time soon; however I realize that I must be prepared for all eventualities, and doing so without the proper equipment could be considerably dangerous to all involved.”

“I’m going to be honest in that this is all a little out of my depth. I am an accomplished physician and surgeon, however it is no secret my specialties might fall outside of this...halo’s realm,” he admitted, his expression remorseful.

“If it makes you feel any better, this is likely outside of most anyone’s realm. We have our own team back home, but even with their knowledge of what to see and look for, every Halo Bearer brings new challenges and discoveries.”

“Well looking at things from a traditional approach, I won’t lie- she’s in rough shape. I won’t know more until we get the CT scan, but her vitals are all over and not stabilizing as much as I had hoped despite the medications we are treating her with so far. Those burn marks are concerning, as is her previous medical history. I have no idea what kind of neurological trauma she might be suffering from and that is definitely not my field of expertise. I have a very highly skilled colleague here at Bambino Children’s Hospital though and she could make a far better assessment. She could be here within the hour.”

Mother Superion pursed her lips. “I hope you can understand that I have hesitations about bringing more people into this. We have a very dangerous enemy at large. But the Holy Father has made it clear we need to do whatever it takes to keep her alive and I can’t disagree with that based on tonight’s events. Ava may very well be the only person who can defeat him. I will allow you to bring in this specialist if you feel it is necessary,  _ after _ looking at her scans. But Ava remains here, you will accept that at least one of the Order will be present at all times, and once she is moved to recovery you will limit access to her and Sister Lilith. No one will be admitted unless you personally have cleared it.”

“I can work with that. We will do everything in our power to help her.”

==^^==

The rushed walk to the van to retrieve their spare gear was quiet and tense. Camila watched as Mary began reloading shells, while Beatrice grabbed another set of shuriken and tucked them away. “I don’t understand,” she asked with confusion and worry in her voice. “I-I thought we were going to get cleaned up?”

“The situation may not be actively hostile but we should not let our guard down,” Beatrice answered flatly.

“Our Halo Bearer is vulnerable, a thousand-year-old dude who should be dead is out there with who knows what powers, and we are down a woman with little to no immediate trustworthy backup. We clean up, but we go back prepared,” Mary said as she holstered her weapons and finally grabbed the small duffle containing her spare clothing.

“Oh. Ok.”

The words were small, almost lost sounding as Camila turned towards her own bags, and began to blindly fumble for more bolts as unshed tears began to burn in her eyes. Before she’d joined the OCS, Camila had been a whirlwind of chaos, passion, and gifted technical skills that had brought a serious amount of trouble crashing down on her head. She never thought she’d fit in with anyone or find her place in this world until the Order found her. Then, as she got to know her fellow recruits and their own checkered pasts, Camila realized that everyone there was a misfit of one form or another, all with a predilection for chaos and perhaps a little controlled violence when the circumstances called for it. And yet, despite their nature, they all sought one thing: to use their pain and inner struggles as a motivation to do good. Through the Order, they could all find purpose and redemption as their aberrant skills and energies were guided towards being utilized not just for helping people, but protecting the world. Only now everything felt like it was on the precipice of falling apart, and as old self-esteem issues arose, she started questioning her worth to these incredibly skilled warriors that she fought with. 

Thankfully, Mary seemed to have sensed her distress and paused. “Hey,” she said softly, resting a hand on Camila’s shoulder. Camila didn’t turn to face her, feeling shame burn her face at failing to maintain her composure. But Mary squeezed her shoulder in understanding. “We are all in uncharted waters right now. It’s ok to be scared and it’s ok to not know all the answers. None of us are ok right now, but we’re pushing through because we have no other choice,” she admitted quietly. “We chose you to be on our team for a reason Camila, and it wasn’t just because of those kickass hacker skills. You’ve got what it takes, little sis and you’ve done us proud.”

Camila inhaled shakily, her eyes closing as she fought back the tears and let the words wash over her and through her. She held her breath, slowly released it. Drew in another steadier one. Held it. And with this second one she released the spiralling anxiety that had been building inside her. Opening her eyes she glanced over her shoulder to see both her teammates watching her with kindness and understanding in their eyes. Not trusting her voice just yet, she nodded in gratitude and then turned back to her gear, her hands far more steady as she let herself fall back into her training, relying on the routine to keep her mind focused. Fully re-armed, they headed back to the hospital with their duffles that contained their spare clothing and made their way quietly towards the locker room.

They dumped their bags onto the wooden benches and finally took full stock of their gruesome appearance thanks to the fluorescent lighting and full-length mirror on the wall across from them. “Wow. We really do look like shit,” Mary grimaced, as she looked down to see all the blood staining her clothing along with the numerous tears. No one had the energy to correct her language. 

Beatrice stood staring at her own reflection, her fingers brushing along the edges of the ragged hole in her armor where she’d been struck. She inhaled sharply as phantom pain shot through her chest, that brutal moment flashing across her vision as her mind tried to process the fact that less than an hour ago, she’d been killed...violently so. Blinking away the memories, Beatrice slammed down her mental walls, shutting it all out and shoving the incident to the dark corners of her mind as she spun away from her reflection. If either of her companions noticed her sustained silence, or the way her hands trembled as she worked at the buckles and catches of her armor, they did not make any comment and Beatrice was grateful for that. 

As she stripped further out of her armor and habit, both she and Mary came to the realization that a quick change and a wipedown with a wet cloth were not going to cut it for either of them. Their reluctance to leave Ava or Lilith alone for even more time as they showered was quickly noted by Camila who was already halfway dressed in her clean clothing having remained relatively unsullied following the fight. The younger nun waved towards the showers, assuring them she would help Superion guard over their fallen sisters as soon as she was done so they could take a few extra minutes to properly wash the grime off. They finally relented, and after a promise to come get them if anything happened, Camila shoved her bag into an unused locker and slipped out of the room a couple of minutes later looking less like something out of a horror movie, and feeling a little more like the Warrior Sister she was. 

Shouldering her crossbow, the younger nun rounded the corner in the hallway that would lead her back toward Ava and Lilith, and slowed her steps as she assessed the scene before her. Mother Superion was once more surrounded by a small, grim looking group of Cardinals and looking especially irritated. She caught sight of Camila and lifted a discreet finger from where it rested on her cane. The young nun halted a respectful distance away, and folded her hands behind her back. A moment later Mother Superion broke away from the group. The Cardinals glanced Camila’s way, and then turned away in a dismissive gesture that had her jaw clenching. But Superion was approaching her and Camila re-focused her attention back toward her superior. “Is there a problem, Mother?” she asked in a barely audible voice.

“Not as of yet. But I have been….strongly urged to accompany them for a debriefing and I suspect this will not be of the normal variety.”

“I understand. The other sisters required a little more clean-up than I did, but will be out shortly. I will keep watch over Ava and Lilith.” Mother Superion’s eyes glanced over her reloaded weapon and the fresh quiver of bolts that hung from her hip. The corner of her lips ticked upward in approval for a brief moment and Camila felt herself straightening in pride. But then Mother Superion’s expression fell and a weariness took over as she looked down at her fists, which were tightened on her cane.

“Ava is….the doctor has serious concerns. If he doesn’t like what he sees on the scans, he’s been given leave to bring in another specialist from the other hospital. He has been informed that access to her is being limited to only staff that he clears for now. No one else is allowed entry without his personal authorization. I have called for a team from the nearest chapter, but it will take them at least six hours to get here. They are bringing all necessary supplies.” It went unsaid what some of those supplies likely were - such as the device used to safely extract the Halo. But the way Mother Superion’s voice caught on that last sentence was all the implication Camila needed. She swallowed hard, forcing herself to remain as composed as her mentor.

“I understand,” she said quietly, unable to keep the tremor out of her voice entirely.

Mother Superion’s gaze lifted finally, and Camila nearly gasped as she witnessed the faintest shimmer of moisture in the elder nun’s eyes. “We are  _ not _ giving up on her without a fight. If things take a turn for the worse or you meet resistance in regards to her safety, you come find me immediately,” she ordered with quiet fervor. Her eyes drifted towards the group of Cardinals, watching their hushed exchange warily. “Regardless of our current location, protecting the Halo Bearer at all costs still remains our primary objective. Even more so after what we witnessed tonight.”

“It will be done, Mother,” Camila answered resolutely.

Assured that her team would have things in hand during her absence, she returned to the Cardinals who led them away from the small medical wing. Camila watched them go, her head tilting to the side as she tried to decipher what had caught her attention. There was some barely perceptible difference in Mother Superion that was niggling at her senses, but after a few seconds she shook it off and moved to the room where Ava was. She glanced inside, and saw that their Halo Bearer was ensconced by the massive machine scanning her, and couldn’t help but reflect on how tiny and defenseless she looked just then. She crossed herself and sent a silent prayer that God would show mercy upon Ava, before she turned her attention back to the corridor and waited for her sisters to join her. 

Barely five minutes went by before they both joined Camila in the hallway, and she filled them in. “I’m going to look in on Lilith,” Mary informed them, though she waited to see if either of them would join her. Camila just gave her a nod of acknowledgement, but clearly wasn’t going to leave her post. 

Beatrice didn’t respond, her attention fully on Ava’s small form inside the room, though Mary hadn’t expected much of one anyway. It wasn’t that her silence was out of character for her. Beatrice was normally the most reserved of their team, but she still tried to engage more, even if her answers were usually carefully measured and succinct due to her upbringing. And yet she’d barely spoken a word since they’d been sent to clean up, and had clearly withdrawn deep into herself. Mary also hadn’t missed how she’d barely been able to remove her own armor because her hands were trembling so badly, but she was giving her friend her space while they all tried to cope with all of the recent trauma and still be able to function well enough to fulfill their duties. Still, Mary had never seen Bea come as unhinged as she had earlier. Not even when Shannon was dying. 

Mary took in the way her hands pressed against the glass, her entire body tense, and a world of pain and fear in her eyes that she likely didn’t even realize was there as she watched Ava from outside her room. She knew that Bea had been the first to reach out to Ava back at the Cradle, that’s just who she was. As distant as Beatrice could be, she still had a soft spot in her heart for all the new kids, and more often than not managed to reach through their defensive posturing and draw them out. She’d obviously managed to do that with Ava and had noticed that in the few days she and Vincent had been gone chasing down the map, the two had grown close. Mary had just chalked that up to their hours spent training together as well as their current situation which had forced them all to grow closer as a team. 

That perspective began to shift when Beatrice went down. Ava’s reaction had been instant, the Halo reacting instinctively to her obvious emotional distress. Both she and Lilith had seemingly lost their will to fight as they held their dying teammate. The look of absolute devastation on Ava’s face for the brief moment Mary had looked back, had her wondering if they were all about to die, until she watched the Halo start to flare. She’s still not sure what exactly happened back there, nor Lilith’s part in all of it, but the one thing she does know is that a Halo Bearer’s power comes not only from their training and strength of will, but also from their emotions. Whatever Ava tapped into back there had been deep and primal and Mary wasn’t sure that anyone else could have drawn such a reaction from their newest Halo Bearer. 

So as Mary watched their most self-controlled teammate look like she was barely keeping herself from breaking into that room, the pieces of the puzzle fell into place.  _ Well, fuck _ , Mary sighed inwardly as she turned away from the two and walked a few doors down to where they’d indicated Lilith was being brought to. A glance inside showed she had already arrived and only two of the nurses were left, making the final adjustments on the IV’s and monitors that had been hooked up to her. 

Mary entered the room and the nurses eyed her warily. “I’m not here to cause any problems, just keep an eye on my sisters,” she said, raising her hands up in peace. They relaxed and finished what they were doing and then moved to prep the empty bed next to Lilith’s turning on the various machines and checking their leads in preparation for Ava’s arrival. “How is she?” Mary asked, jutting her chin towards Lilith.

“She’s resting. Readings indicate it’s pretty deep, so she likely won’t be awake for some time. Doctor gave her a sedative to help with that, though we aren’t sure how effective it will be given what you told us about her unique genetic make-up. But her vitals remain strong and we’re on top of the dehydration and glucose levels. She’ll be fully stabilized on all fronts within the hour.”

“Can I go over there for a minute?”

“Just be careful not to dislodge anything.”

Mary approached her teammate and rested a hand on Lilith’s head. Her fingers worked gently through her hair, brushing some of it back from chiseled features that were finally at peace. Mary noted that the dull grey had given way to a silver so pale it was nearly white and she couldn’t help but wonder what else had changed in her friend since her return. Her other hand reached down to twine in Lilith’s, much as Ava had done, and she traced a single deadly talon. “I don’t know what happened to you Lil, but we will figure this out together. You’re still our sister and we will fight for you every step of the way. So you rest up and then come back to us, you hear?” Mary said quietly as she gave in to the impulse to lean down and press a kiss to Lilith’s brow before she straightened up and reached for a nearby chair to sink into, Lilith’s hand still clasped in her own so she would hopefully know she wasn’t alone.

Mary wasn’t sure how long she’d sat there lost in thought, as her mind worked the past few months over, but it all came to a jarring halt as commotion picked up in the hallway, and she could hear Beatrice’s raised voice. Leaping to her feet, Mary was out the door in a heartbeat, hands on her weapons as she scanned for any threats. A team of medical staff came rushing by, pushing an ominously familiar cart in front of them and turned into the radiology room. As the door crashed open, numerous voices could be heard shouting from within, Beatrice’s frantic tone amongst them. 

Racing into the room on the heels of the medical team, Mary was greeted by the sight of a dozen staff surrounding Ava, working to pull her out from the scanner and back onto a gurney, while others responded to the doctor’s calm but rapid orders. Alarms and frantic beeping were screaming warnings as the young Halo Bearer started convulsing once more and the doctor called for an intubation kit and a new set of medications to be administered. Camila was off to one side, holding tightly onto Beatrice who was shouting at the staff to  _ do something _ . Mary took two steps forward and wrapped them both into a tight hug and pulled them further into the corner of the room and out of the way. 

They clung to each other, all three saying silent prayers as the alarms intensified, the doctor’s voice rose in desperation, and the seizures escalated violently. And then between one heartbeat and the next, Ava went deathly still, and all the alarms went silent except for a single steady tone.

The heavy silence that had descended upon the room the moment Ava’s body went still, was broken by knees slamming onto the tiled floor along with a devastated, broken scream.

“AVA, NO!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't hate me too much?

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you in advance for kudos and comments. Feel free to drop by my tumblr and yell at me: Firedancer34


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